DCNY Bishop's cover-up fails

The story that follows this post is about the priest that Fr. David Bollinger reported to the Bishop of Central New York, Skip Adams. Adams response? He told Fr. Bollinger to drop it. When Fr. Bollinger didn't drop it Adams went after him with a vengeance. Now the priest that Fr. Bollinger reported has plead guilty to sex abuse charges. Let's review.

1. Fr. Bollinger reports Ralph Johnson to Bishop Skip Adams.

2. Adams does a cursory examination of the facts and tries to silence Fr. Bollinger.

3. Fr. Bollinger continues to push for a full investigation and Adams refuses.

4. Fr. Bollinger continues to push for a full investigation and Adams begins disciplinary actions against Fr. Bollinger.

5. Bp. Adams hires a public relations firm to spin his side of the story. He also begins civil litigation against Fr. Bollinger.

6. More people who were sexually abused by Johnson come forward.

7. Adams continues his disciplinary actions against Fr. Bollinger including civil litigation.

8. Adams and Fr. John Martinicchio finally travel to Pennsylvania to speak with Fr. Ralph Johnson and Johnson agrees to be removed from the priesthood. You would think that at this point Fr. Bollinger is fully vindicated and the disciplinary actions by Adams would be dropped, but you would be wrong. No, Adams continues disciplinary action through the Ecclesiastical Court of the DCNY and civil litigation and refuses to release evidence to Fr. Bollinger's defense team including the Shaffer Report.

9. Adams' disciplinary charges are presented to the Ecclesiastical Court of the DCNY, but because Adams continues to withhold evidence from Fr. Bollinger's defense the Ecclesiastical Court again orders the evidence to be released prior to a trial. Adams still refuses to release evidence to Fr. Bollinger's defense team including the Shaffer Report.

10. Adams tries to move the case from his own ecclesiastical court to a provincial ecclesiastical court and is denied.

11. Fr. Bollinger is completely exonerated by the ecclesiastical court of the DCNY. Adams continues his harrassment of Fr. Bollinger and Adams continues the civil litigation against Fr. Bollinger.

12. Ralph Johnson is arrested at his home by the Pennsylvania State Police and led in handcuffs to a police car.

13. The civil litigation which by this point has cost the DCNY and Fr. Bollinger tens of thousands of dollars is settled out of court.

14. Johnson pleads guilty to molesting young boys while a priest in the DCNY.

You would think that with the facts of this timeline the priests, deacons and laity of the DCNY would be extremely upset with their bishop and would tell him in no uncertain terms that he is to lay off Fr. Bollinger and begin to act in an honorable manner. Again, you would be wrong. For the most part the priests, deacons, and laity of the DCNY have been gutless observers to this whole travesty of justice. The DCNY is currently a cesspool that no one inside has the guts to clean up.